Diventare psicologi tra teoria, motivazione e pratica. Percorsi formativi e

Become psychologists between theory, practice and motivation. Professional Identity construction processes’s in psychology students. The research has been focalized on the study of professional identity construction’s processes in students attending courses at psychology University in Parma. The main theoretical constructs of the research has been improved (in particular, the concepts of P.I. and training) developing specifics methodological procedures quantitative based on longitudinal and cross-sectional studies. The research has started from a critique of stadial/evolutionary and/or statics models that has been analyzed the construct of P.I. In social psychology, the multiplicity of the approaches and of the theories that has been considered the various aspect of identity, including also professional one, outlines the complexity of the construct. Nevertheless most researches conducted on psychologists have focused mainly on some characteristics and functions of the construct. Even last studies on psychologist have often assumed the concept of P.I. has static, analyzing it as a set of stereotype perceptions and expectations, against the changes in social rule these involves. Above all the majority of this study have neglected the relationship between training processes and professional identity processes. Due to these critical aspects, this research has chosen to consider the P.I.’s construct through two approaches: identity status paradigm of Marcia utilized for referable to the processual dimension and the theory of “Possible Selves” of Markus and Nurius (1986), referred to the more study static dimension of cognitive-representational aspect of self P.I. This by considering the processes and outcomes of identity as included in educational contexts, university ones, able to guide them. The educational context has been analyzed in three major different components: Know What , know-how , know how to be. Integrating more references related to the models developed within social psychology and the psychology of training, a research project was therefore developed and implemented. It has a group of psychology students at University of Parma enrolled in the academic year 2006/07 and followed up until their third year of University attendance, and a group of psychology students at university of Bergamo attending in the academic year 2008/09 the third years of a similar university course. The aim of the doctoral research was to analyze the professional identity process of the students still under training (Know What, of knowing how to be and know-how)and the impact that the formative training in which the students were involved has in these processes. A target that has been realized by a semiconstructer questionnaire that has been proposed during the first , second and third years of the courses of study identified. In order to realised research aim three study has been conducted. The first and the second study is realized throw a longitudinal design, the third a cross sectional design. The main results that emerge from the longitudinal and cross-sectional studies, showed that during the three-year course , the professional identity training / construction ‘s process tends to moving from a stereotypical representation of the profession that is the one who generally motivates the students about their first chose, to a more critical vision of psychologist and to an exploration of rules and tasks that may be involved in the psychology profession. Then the Professional Identity’s construction process can be considered just started at the end of the three-year course. Its “maturation” tends also to follow partially-different routes depending on the professional training offers of the two different compared university courses, but also depending on the ways with which the students take advantage by the opportunities that the courses offer to them by the motivational and strategic resources that they at stake during their training.